What a Friend We Have in Jesus #2

Irish born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married. The day before his wedding his fiance died in a tragic drowning... more

by David and Carol Kelly

Title

What a Friend We Have in Jesus #2

Artist

David and Carol Kelly

Medium

Photograph

Description

Irish born Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married. The day before his wedding his fiance died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland to start a new life in Canada. While teaching in Canada he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative of one of his students. Joseph's hopes and dreams were once again shattered when Eliza became ill and died before the wedding. Soon after Eliza's death Joseph joined the Plymouth Brethren and began preaching for a Baptist church. He never married, but spent the remainder of his life giving all his time, money and even the clothes off his own back to help the less fortunate and to spread the love and compassion of Jesus wherever he went.

Around the same time that Eliza died, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".

Almost 30 years after his letter of comfort to his mother, Joseph's poems were published in a book called "Hymns and Other Verses". Soon thereafter, noted musician Charles C. Converse put music to one of those poems: "What a Friend We Have in Jesus".

Uploaded

February 24th, 2015